Shukumei - Destiny
by Kamikaze Kaijuu
Summary: A peasant girl is accused of something she didn't do, and is sent to the palace to be punished for it. There, she finds something more than she was expecting.


Author's Note: hey there everyone!! well...I've been planning to get this fic out for weeks now, but school keeps getting in my way. @_@ I finally got some free time so I decided it would be the perfect time to post it.  
  
This will be a romance...probably with Usagi and Mamoru, but I'm not quite sure about it yet. Then again I'm not quite to sure about anything ^-^; It's an AU fic...and.....that's about all you need to know that I can remember at the moment, but if anything else pops up, I'll be sure to explain it.  
  
Disclaimer: I think that everyone knows that I definitely DO NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. And for those of you who thought I did......well.....I worry about you and you may need some medical attention. *ahem* well enough of my ranting....sit back and enjoy the story. Ja ne!  
  
" " - someone speaking  
  
' ' - someone thinking  
  
( ) - author's little notes  
  
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Shukumei - Prologue  
  
A small girl ran through the now almost deserted streets, a loaf of bread clutched tightly in her hand. Shouting, and the clatter of feet sounding in the streets behind, urged her to go faster as panic crept up her stomach.  
  
Glancing to her right, she spotted an alley almost completely covered by shadows and ran into it for cover from her pursuers.  
  
'What now genius' her mind mocked. 'it's only a matter of time before they find you.'  
  
Gasping for breath, she lowered her head in defeat, knowing that it was true. She felt tears start to prick at the corners of her eyes and angrily wiped them away. She was not going to give up now.  
  
If those stupid town guards had nothing better to do than chase her around, well then...let them have their fun. They would never catch her.  
  
Sure, technically she had stolen the bread, but none of them knew what it was like to live all alone and have to take care of yourself without anybody's help. How did anyone expect her to buy it when she didn't have any money? Well... it was a good enough excuse for her.  
  
Shaking away her thoughts, she lifted herself off of the ground and stuck her head out to see it anyone was coming. Not seeing anybody, she made her way slowly over towards the forest just outside the town. If she could just get to it she'd be safe.  
  
A smirk found it's way to her face as she neared her destination, but disappeared almost as quickly as it came.  
  
As relief had spread through her body, she had lost her concentration and tripped on her over-sized cloak making her crash right into an armor display. The whole thing fell to the ground with an angry crash, making her stop dead in her tracks.  
  
'Please say no one heard me,' 'please say no one heard me,' 'please say no one heard me,' she chanted to herself as she listened to see if her prayers would be answered.  
  
A shout.  
  
Footsteps heading her way.  
  
Looks like she'd have no such luck.  
  
The actual sight of one of the guards heading her way, broke her from her stupor, and without more than a second glance she had turned and sprinted to the woods.  
  
Even after she got under the cover of the trees, she kept running until she knew that nobody would find her. Heck! She didn't even know where she was. Not really caring at the moment, she dropped to her back, breathing heavily from the run.  
  
Opening her crystal blue eyes she gazed up at the night sky, a feeling of great comfort washing over her weary body.  
  
Is this the way it would always be? Always running?  
  
She sure hoped not. Those guards seem to get closer every single time.  
  
A sound from the bushes caused her to jump to her feet. What was going on? Had they found her already? Impossible! As the noises became louder, she started to back away in fear, but tripped over a root and landed on the ground.  
  
Her fears rose as two figures emerged from the shadows.  
  
One was a large muscular man with a great bushy beard and clothing that seemed to be out of place in a forest. A fancy white shirt and red pants just didn't seem to fit. He even had a golden earring hanging from one ear. The thing that worried her most about him though, was not his frightening size. It was the two silver swords that were strapped to his side, and the fact that he had absolutely no trouble carrying them.  
  
The less frightening of the two, was a woman with shoulder length brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She wore a long blue dress with a simple brown cloak and seemed to radiate an aura of peace. A smile adorned her beautiful features as she watched the girl with an unknown emotion flashing across her face.  
  
Despite her observations, she still drew back in fear as the woman approached her. If she would have taken the time to think, she would have noticed that neither of the two looked like anyone from the kingdom she had just fled from.  
  
Covering her eyes with her hands, she prepared for the worst, but looked up quickly when she felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder. There before her was the woman, kneeling so they could see eye to eye.  
  
"We won't hurt you child." the woman said softly. "We're here to help you. Could you tell me your name?"  
  
She eyed them suspiciously, but felt her defences dropping. No one had ever wanted to help her before....and these people seemed so nice....Plus, now that she thought about it, they didn't look like guards....  
  
"Usagi...." she whipered quietly "my name is Usagi."  
  
If possible the woman's smile grew. "Usagi eh? A cute name for a cute little girl. My name is Elizabeth and this is my husband Neil."  
  
The man behind Elizabeth smiled and bowed low to Usagi. "It's a pleasure to meet you little rabbit."  
  
Usagi found herself smiling right along with the two before her. It was hard not to with the feeling of comfort and happiness they were giving her.  
  
"Would you like to come with us to our home?" Elizabeth asked her. "We saw you running from the guards and figured that you would need a place to stay. That's why we followed you here"  
  
Usagi hesitated a moment. She didn't want to burden these people with having to take care of her. Plus she didn't need their pity.  
  
Neil noticed the skeptical look on her face, and came up beside her. "Don't worry rabbit. We have plenty of room for you. Don't worry so much."  
  
Sighing, she picked herself up and looked from Neil to Elizabeth. "Alright....I'll go with you for now....but there's no guarantee that I'll stay."  
  
Elizabeth smiled a knowing smile. "Of course not. Now come, follow me. It's this way."  
  
And with that, the three figures set off into the woods.  
  
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tah-dah! so how was it? good? bad? not sure? should I keep going? please review!! I need to know what you think! you guys are what keep me going! you can e-mail me at fuzzball200@hotmail.com with your reviews, comments, suggestions, and even flames. Well...that's all I've got for now!! Ja ne minna-chan!  
  
~*donofs*~ 


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